An appeal has been launched to raise money to help a much-loved mother who has become stranded in Russia after falling desperately ill on a family holiday.

Kieron Ruddy and his son Jayden Ruddy at their charity Christmas lights in 2016 Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWN

Alice Munson was rushed to hospital in St Petersburg after a bout of acute pancreatitis while enjoying a Baltic Sea cruise.

Due to the severity of her condition, she received emergency surgery and was placed into a coma.

Mrs Munson’s husband Kieron Ruddy, 32, and son Jayden Ruddy, nine, were with her in the St Petersberg hospital but, due to visa restrictions, had no choice but to return home - leaving Ms Munson on her own in a foreign country.

Kieron said: “It was scary, you’re in a foreign country and I had no idea where she was going no idea what we were going to do.

“But the response so far is so overwhelming and we can’t thank everyone enough for their kindness and support.”

Robyn Smyth, Kieron’s cousin, has now started a gofundme page to raise money for the family’s mounting expenses, missed work and getting Ms Munson safely home from Russia.

Ms Smyth said: “I can only imagine how hard it must have been for them to leave Alice in a foreign country knowing she is so poorly. Hopefully Alice will be well enough to travel very soon.”

Mr Ruddy has been told that his wife also has sepsis and other complications as a result of the acute pancreatitis.

She is currently in and out of consciousness and remains in a critical condition in the intensive care unit on dialysis.

She can only return to the UK when she is stable enough to travel and will require a medical jet to get her back.

Once she is back on British soil, she will need to go directly to an intensive care unit, as she requires more treatment and is likely to have a long process of rehabilitation after that.

The fundraising page has already raised over £2,000 for the family, who themselves have raised thousands for charity by organising a huge Christmas light show every year.

Ms Smyth said: “Kieron is of course a proud father and husband and reluctant to accept help but we all know the work he does to give back to his community.